Curtain rod



Jan. 29, 1924.

J. H. BOYE CURTAIN non Filed oet. 27. 1922 Patented Jan. 29, 1,924.

PATENT `JAMES HL BOYE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CURTAIN non.

Application le October 27, 1922. Serial No.y 597,274.

' To aZZww/m it may concern.'

Be it known that I, Jai/ins. H. Born, a

citizen fV the United States, residing at' Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of 5 Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Curtain Rods, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to `improvements in curtain rods, and has reference more particula-rly to sectional rods of the flat type which are commonly made of thin sheet metal with the upper and lower margins folded rearwardly and inwardly, forming a substantially hollow structure of oval or oblong cross-section. Many rods of this type are made eXtensible to fit varying widths of window and door frames, and to this end comprise end elements that are mounted in supporting brackets on the window or door frame, and an intermediate element telef scopically Aengaged with the end elements. Where curtain rods of unusual length are desired or required1 the intermediate element itself is frequently made in two or more sec-v tions telescopic/ally engaged with each other, this being done `partly for convenience in packing and shipment to kreduce the length of the package, and partly to afford greater llexibility in respect of longitudinal adjustment by using or omitting altogetherone or more of the sections of the intermediate element.

One serious fault in curtain rods of this Ytype lies in the fact that, when made of considerable length and employing several ktelescoping elements to obtain y the required length, they are unduly weak, and under the weight of the curtains tend not only to sag in a vertical plane, but also to warp or twist. That is,:the upper edge ofthe intermediate element of the rod bends laterally and downwardly and its lower edge. correspondingly bends laterally and upwardly, causing the central portion of the rod to more or less closely approach a horizontal plane and presenting an unsightly appearance.

The main object and purpose of the present invention is to provide an improved construction which, .in a long sectional rod will greatly reduce and substantially eliminate thelabove-noted fault; and this object l ci is. i

is attained through the provision of lan improved means for separably uniting the sections of the intermediate element of the rod whereby much greater strength and rigidity t0 resist sagging and warping under the load of the curtain is obtained. i

Another annoying fault which the ordinary extensible` rod composed of telescoping sections presents lies in the fact that, inr slidingthe curtains lengthwise of the rod, the fabric of the pocket of the curtain, or the curtain rings or hooks (where the latter are employed) tend to catch and stick on theV exposedlends of the outer telescoping sections, thus making it somewhat difcult to adjust the curtains to ,desired position.

Another object of my present invention is to provide a sectional rod, the upper margin of which will forthe most part be smooth and substantially continuous, so that the upper edge of the curtain or theA curtain rings or hooks may be readily drawn thereover by simply pushing the curtains to one side or the other. A further object of the invention is yto provide a sectionaly rod of such a character that it may `be packed and shipped in small compass, andwill by its i construction readily disclose its proper inan- Y ner of assemblingand mounting to users un` familiar with its structural features. l

A still furtherspeciiicobject of the invention is to provide a novel and improved device for strongly and rigidly, and also vseparably, joining the meeting ends of two hollow curtain rod sections, so as to secure the advantages above mentioned, Virrespective of the particular cross-sectional form of proved curtain rod, showing the intermediate n element thereof as composed of two separable Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal section taken on the line i-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation showing one end of an intermediate.

section with the connector or splice inserted therein; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective elevation of the connector or splice.

Referring to the drawing, 10 designates each ,tot vthe end elements of a tubular fiat curtain rod,herein shown as ot elbowV shape, with their rearwardly projecting ends adapted to engage with suitable brackets (not shown) attached to the wall ylhe straight intermediate element of the rod,4 as shown in Fig. 1, comprises a pair of straight flat tubular sections 11 which at their outer ends telescope over the inwardly extending arms oifthe end elements 10v with a snug sliding iit,whereby the adjustability ofthe rod. in pointr of length is obtained. The inner ends of the curved endv elements 10 are preferably equippedy with frictionl springs 12 in rubbing contact with the upper and lower edges ofV the outer telescoping section 11 to secure increasedV rigidity, as disclosed and claimed in my Vformer Fatent No. 1,309,050 @and July s, i919; but this feature'iin itself 4forms no essential part of my present invention.

e The intermediate sections` 11 are of unio'rmandrequal width vand thickness, and the` meeting ende of these sections are each formed on the iront face'with a, semi-circular notch 13 in ther end edge of the faceV and with a hole 14 a slight distance in rear ot the notch 13. l

i 15. `designates as an entirety the connector or splicing member. This consists of a short section, prer`erably six to eight inches in length,.of metal stockl of a size and shape to tightly interit with the meeting ends of the `rod sections 11. This splicing member is preferably made oi sheet metal of much greater strength and rigidity than the stock of the rod4 itself,.and bent into the formof the latter, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, whereinthe relative thicknesses of the rod stock and the connectorstoclr are shown. From the rear side of the front face of the con nector there are vpunched outwardly a central protuberance or bossl, and a slight distance on either side of the latter two additional protuberances or bosses 17. Theconnector 15 is first driven into the end of one of the sections 11, and in so ydoing the boss 17 on the entering end, passing beneath the edgeof the notch 13, springs the metal forming the face of the rod section outwardly until it comes into register with the hole 14, whereupon it snaps into yieldable locking engagement with said hole. The meeting end of the other rod section 11 is then i'crced over the exposed haltet the connector 15, its end notch 13 riding over the lug 17, in the manner already described, until its end meets and squarely abuts yagainst the end ci the other section 11.

Thisv brings the end notch into register with theyot'her half of the central boss 13 and simultaneously its hole 14 into yieldable locking engage-ment with the other boss 17. l/lfhen the rod sections are thus united, the connector or splice 15 is wholly concealed, except as to its bossesA 16V and 17, and theintermediate element,V of' the rod presents a straight, smooth and practically cOfllCinuous appearance. However, the seetions 11 may be separated by a pull suiiicient to overcome the yieldapble locking hold of the lugs 17. Preferably one oi the lugs l?, is made slightly higher than the other, so tile-tin separating the rod sections the same lug (the lower) will always yield, leaving the splicing element within the end of the other section.

The relatiiely heavy and inflexible splicing elements 15,l tightly iitting the meeting end portions of the intern'iediate rod sections 11, greatly stiften the latter at these points against both downward bending or sagging in a vertical plane and lateral twisting or warping, thereby making it aracticable to employ a longer rod withoutv any intermediate supporting bracket or brackets than has heretoforeV been pcssible.

lt will also be notedv that the specific structure of the connector or splice, vwith-its een trai boss 1G engaged with semi-circular notches in the meeting ends of the, rod sec-v tions insures thatthe connector or splice will always be centrallylocated with reerence to the meeting ends of the rod sectiens, extending an equal distance into each ci the latter, thereby affording .equal strengthening and stifening effects to the rod sections.

The notching of thev end edges of the rod sections to encircle the central bossV 11i-ob.-V viously permits the squared ends to', meet in a perfectl registration, thus creating a smooth and substantially continuous .upper edge throughout'` the entire linteri'nediate ,e

portion of the rod lying between thefexposed portions ot the end elements 10, so that the curtains may be drawnapartor together without any catching of their upper'ends on the upper edge of the rod.

In practice the intermediate sections `are preferably made equal-'in length and'substantially equal to the length i otV the endY sectionsyso that, when the rod is fully disassembled, thel several sections can beI packed side by side in a box or other package but iso slightly exceeding the length of a single section; and the manner in which the sec-4 tions are tobe assembled Jfor mounting is obvious `from mere inspection.

Finally, itis manifest that the described advantages of the snugly fitting internal connector or splice which joins the sections of the intermediate element are not dependent upon the particular cross-section or form of the rod herein shown; but are also present when the connector is used in rods of round or other cross-Sectional form, provided it is so made as to snugly lit the meeting ends of the rod sections, and is ci* heavier vand stronger stock than they rod itself. l

I claim 1. An extensible'hollow curtain rod of the 2. An extensible hollow curtain rod oty the fiat type, comprising end elements, and an intermediate element telescopically engaged with said end elements, said intermediate element comprising a plurality of vendwise abutting sections of equal crosssectional dimensions and an internal sheet metal splicing member of the same crosssectional form as, and of greater thickness and rigidity than, said sections snugly firting the meeting ends of the latter.

3. In a curtain rod, the combination with a pair of hollow endwise abutting rod sections, of means for separably uniting said sections endto end comprising an internal kfitting. the meeting ends of said sections,

said rod sections and splicing member having (jo-operating devices for locating the joint between said rod sections at the longitudinal center of said splicing member, and other co-operating devices for yieldably locking said'splicing member in said rod sections.

5. In a curtain rod, the combination with a pair of hollow fiat endwise abutting rod sections formed with notches in the meeting ends of their front faces and with holes in their front'faces rearwardly of said notches, of a hollow internal splicing member snugly itting the meeting ends of said sections and formed with a central outwardly pressed protuberance on its front face adapted to engage with said notches and with other outwardly pressed protuberances adapted to engage with said holes.

JAMES I-I. BOYE. 

